Henry performs for the San Diego Accordion Club. Photo by Yoanna Akis.

July 10, 2016: Henry Doktorski performed at a monthly meeting of the San Diego Accordion Club (also known as the Accordion Lover’s Society), which was held at Bailey Hall at Mount Miguel Covenant Village, in Spring Valley, California. He played three of his favorite pieces: Johannes Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 5 (arranged by Anthony Galla-Rini); Pietro Deiro’s Celestina Polka, and Henry’s own Theme and Variation on Richard Rodgers’ Edelweiss.

Henry said, “I first performed for the Accordion Lovers’ Society in San Diego exactly twenty years ago, in 1996, when Harold Estok was president. During that 1996 visit I spent some time with the great classical accordionist and pedagogue Anthony Galla-Rini (1904-2006). It was great to see Gordon Kohl, the president of the society, and other accordionists and friends (such as Harold Estok's wife, Helen) who I haven't seen for decades. I even met the gentleman who picked me up at the airport in San Diego twenty years earlier! Gordon gave me a nice introduction, and later invited me to come again, perhaps early in 2017, and perform a full hour-long recital. He also suggested that the two of us could perform Pietro Deiro’s Tranquillo Overture in the arrangement for accordion duet! I look forward to playing for the San Diego Accordion Club more often.”